Best football game out there? I think so!

So, who are your best teams, what formations and/or strategies do you use?

When finishing the master league, what players made up your dream team? How many seasons did it take to do it?

Personally, I use The Netherlands as my international team choice, and I use Arsenal for my club team. For both sides, I always play 4-3-3. I find I run out of people to pass to when I get the ball up-field, and using three strikers means I can stretch the oppositions defence. My midfield suffers a bit, but I use a counter attack strategy, which means I just need 2 or 3 quick passes, from the defence, through the midfield, and up to my strikers. I'm not a great runner of the ball, and dont really use many of the skill features. I just rely on quick passing and cheeky through-balls.

During the Master League, I left the function on that allows you to purchase retro-players, like Pele, Maradonna and Best, etc. I made sure that the computer teams were at the highest setting for transfering players, so that the master league didn't become a walk in the park for me.

My final team for the master league was as follows:

Banks as keeper
Venetidis, Maldina, Bistan and Beckenbauer (sp) as my defence
Zicos (Zito in the game) Zidane and Pratine (Platine in real life?) as my midfield
And my forwards were Cruyff, De Stefanos and Kopo (Kopa in real life, I think??)

My subs usually consisted of a mix of trained youth players, some of the original squad, and lesser skilled players that I bought. My subs were very weak, so injuries often cost me dear.

With all that, the Master League took me 8 seasons to complete. In my final season, I did the treble...winning the domestic league and cup, and the WEFA championships.

Oh yeah, my team was Tottenham Hotspur =/

PES3 = Way too easy

My team consisits of players I like. Many subs.

GK: Casillas
CB:Mexes
CB:Gallas
CB:Hofland
DM:Assuncao
CM:Arteta
RM:Ruben Baraja
LM:Joaquin
OM:Valeron
OM:Malbranque
FW:Morientes

Subs include Forsell, Litmanen, Legwinski, McPhail, Pavon, Perruzi, Knight, Portillo

I usually prefer to play as France and Deportivo. I tend not to buy classic players in the Master League as it makes it to easy.

If I actually had more time to play Winning Eleven 7 (which would be the US/JPN equilvient to PES3), I would complete it and actually know more about what teams I have to pick from. :(

But I think I'll go out and buy Winning Eleven 8 when it comes out. Not sure if the regular JPN release actually has English text... I guess I'll wait for International to come out. O_o;

Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
I tend not to buy classic players in the Master League as it makes it to easy.

Nope. Not if you tweak the rate and difficulty that computer teams carry out transfers.

Then you have like, a whole load of top teams, which consist of a mix of the greatest players, from past and present. Not just your own.

>_>

Having Cruyyf, Maradonna, Pele, Beckenbauer, etc makes it easier simply becuase they are so much better. I wouldn't mind if the computer wasn't so retarded at transfering players.
But then I find this game easy regardless. With the team posted earlier I still never lose a match, rarely draw. It sucks being the best >_>

PES is also the Best.Multiplayer.Game.Ever in my opinion.

Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
>_>

Having Cruyyf, Maradonna, Pele, Beckenbauer, etc makes it easier simply becuase they are so much better. I wouldn't mind if the computer wasn't so retarded at transfering players.
But then I find this game easy regardless. With the team posted earlier I still never lose a match, rarely draw. It sucks being the best >_>

PES is also the Best.Multiplayer.Game.Ever in my opinion.

Yes, it certinaly is.

And leave your arrogance at the door next time, kthx

It's only arrogance if you're lying. Plus, the >_> clearly means "Don't take this too seriously"

Tactics....I tend to try and score "The perfect goal". Which in my opinion is about 100 passes then a tap-in >_> Usually the computer is frustrating and piles 8 guys in the box so I resort to long shots or a cross. That's why I play 6 midfielders. Counter-attacking is good when the computer commits men forward. I don't use the news skills - just fluff so people want to buy the game. I use the dragback after the sidestep to piss off my friends though :p I use the old skills; the shot-fake, the side-step and stuff. Never found stepovers useful.
Master League has to be the best single-player mode of any sports game ever. It can get very addictive. Especially when you are training players.


But I think I'll go out and buy Winning Eleven 8 when it comes out. Not sure if the regular JPN release actually has English text... I guess I'll wait for International to come out. O_o;

You can patch it with a..thingy. Dex-drive? Or was that what it used to be called? Anyway, I would love that. The patches have updated teams and full kit and stuff.

Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
It's only arrogance if you're lying. Plus, the >_> clearly means "Don't take this too seriously"


Yeah, I know. Sorry, I keep getting totally angsty when I reply to your posts. We should like, start afresh, and be friends I think.

Most of the "skill" tricks in Pro Evo 3 are pointless. The shot fake is the only one worth using, and that only applies to inexperienced players.

I find that if you have quick fingers, you'll win. Theres no trick to getting good in Pro Evo 3 in my opinion...its just a means of practicing and learning your preferred formation like the back of your hand.

Counter attacking strategy is perfect because it doesn't matter if whoever you play against, human, or computer, commits men forward or not, your strikers will always hang on the half way line, instead of coming back to defend. This is perfect for a 4-3-3 formation, because it means you can move the ball quickly from a defensive position, and have plenty of guys up front to pass the ball with.

Even against an experienced human opponent, unless they play VERY defensively and have next to nothing in attack, 3 strikers will rip them apart. And I find I am good enough not to be left open to a counter attack myself.

I like, use the manual cursor in the player settings. More control over your team.

Well, I do tend to boast. But then I fail. So, um...>_>

Success in PES comes from...zooming the camera out and spreading the play quickly and well. It's easy enought to go past players if you concentrate so getting a cross in is no bother. A shot from the edge of the box, with you side to the goal will usually result in a save/goal/block.

Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
Well, I do tend to boast. But then I fail. So, um...>_>

Success in PES comes from...zooming the camera out and spreading the play quickly and well. It's easy enought to go past players if you concentrate so getting a cross in is no bother. A shot from the edge of the box, with you side to the goal will usually result in a save/goal/block.

Really? I like the default camera setting. You know, the medium distance one? If its too far, my tackling becomes terribly inaccurate. I find that even if my players aren't visible on screen, 9/10, my pass will be successful, because I'm so used to the formation I play.

If its zoomed out too far, I have trouble scoring and tackling, and therefore, usually lose :x

I used to have the same problems tackling until I taught myself defending by playing Classic Holland as Egypt on 5*, 20 mins. Best thing to learn is to recognise when the computer is going to shoot then slide tackle in front of him and getting a nice looking block away.

I could use the radar to pass instead of the camera but it gets awfully tight around the opposition box and I don't usually have enough time/don't think of it.

And, dam you, you got me addicted to the Master League again >_> I'm favouring 4 attackers at the moment. Especially against 3 man defences.

So you guys tend to agree that if I were to buy a football game, I should buy this one, otherwise you'd do a Wayne Rooney to my heel?

Interesting. I may have to invest some currency to purchase this game.

There's no better football game in existance until Winning Eleven 8 comes out next month. Alas, that requires chipping and modding and wires and such so I wait for PES4 >_>

Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
I used to have the same problems tackling until I taught myself defending by playing Classic Holland as Egypt on 5*, 20 mins. Best thing to learn is to recognise when the computer is going to shoot then slide tackle in front of him and getting a nice looking block away.

I'll give that a go then. Egypt, roffle!


Originally posted by the_real_frenchy
And, dam you, you got me addicted to the Master League again >_> I'm favouring 4 attackers at the moment. Especially against 3 man defences.

hahaha, 4 attackers? Thats crazy. I never go more than 3 attackers, otherwise my midfield is like "y helo thar, empty'd!"

It is crazy. I play a 3-3-4 with one defensive midfielder and two attacking ones. I'm kind of open to attacks down the flanks but I'm in the Southern League and the Italian teams seem not to want to do that. I push my wide forwards as far wide as possible so I can really stretch the defences, assuming I can get the ball back with my pitiful midfield. On the plus side, I tend to win a lot of balls from defenders leaving me with a good chance to score.Some day the AI will realise all it has to do is play a long ball into the corners >_> Then I'm screwed.
While I'm on the subject of the ML, do you ever get the feeling in some games that the computer is not going to let you win? When everything goes wrong and they score their only chance? Because I hate that so much.

You play the complete opposite of what I play Frenchy. I play 4-3-3.

I know what you mean about the computer refusing to let you win. It sometimes feels that the matches are totally pre-determined.

I remember once, I played Arsenal in the league, and destroyed them something ridiculous. 7-0 or something?

Then I played them in the WEFA championship, almost the next game, and they won 2-0.

I dont know. I still lose to the computer on a some-what regular basis, anyway =P

It's the most annoying thing about PES3. I hope it's fixed for PES4. Of course, it could be my imagination >_>
Are you getting PES4? I know it's not online on the PS2 but I hope it is on the PC. I'll get it then. DOn't like this talk of a new free-kick system after just mastering the currents one after so many years.

Ah, I love taking free kicks in PES3.

Platine (sp?) is the best, followed by Zidane, then Maradonna, the Beckham.

I like scoring directly from corners with Zidane ^_^

You can do that? How? I never figured out how to do that.

I just get somebody with good curling and accuracy, like Zidane, Beckham or Maradonna, line them up with the edge of the 6 yard box, push up hard on the stick, and hold circle until the bar is at the half way point (just over is ok too, but too much, or too little, and the effort will suck).

As soon as they strike the ball, I push the stick in the direction I want to curl. And that, as they say, is that.

I must say though, I am no expert, and have only scored a clean goal from the corner spot on only a few occasions. Usually, it bounces in off a defender (which is just as good) or causes a whole ton of confusion in the box, which will either gift you a chance, a corner, or nothing.

Failing to score directly isn't always a bad thing though ;D

Bah, I can't do it. I did notice that using the analog stick lets you hit it harder/softer. Kind of obvious but I just discovered it :D

Frenchy, if you practice, you'll eventually crack it.

And yeah, I only use the analogs for free-kicks and corners. I use the D-Pad for normal play.

I bought this game a couple of months ago thinking that my little league soccer experience would give me all the strategic knowledge necessary to dominate the game, but I was mistaken.

I still enjoy it though. On low difficulty settings.

Originally posted by Kool Ranch
I bought this game a couple of months ago thinking that my little league soccer experience would give me all the strategic knowledge necessary to dominate the game, but I was mistaken.

I still enjoy it though. On low difficulty settings.

Yeah, when I first got the game, it was the hardest thing I'd ever played. It takes a while to get used to it.

It's certainly tougher than your average sports games *coughEAonescough* But it's about skill and perseverance . And the occasional fits of rage. Stick with it. Do the training. If I can give on piece of advice, if you want ot play a passing game, learn to use the radar.

The problem with me playing it is that I know nothing about soccer strategy. When it gets the formation screen I feel like I should be making adjustments, but I don't know what is good for what.

I bought a baseball game too. It's not nearly as good a game as PES (or WSWE7I, as it's called here in the states), but I know baseball strategy, so I feel more in control playing the baseball game.

Maybe I'll check out a book on soccer strategy.